Apparatus for wrapping ribbons, laces, and other materials



Sept- 954 G. GEFFROY ET AL 2,688,829

LACES, AND OTHER MATERIALS APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING RIBBONS,

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 2, 1952 Snnentors GEORGES 654 790) PAW.I/ANE? Gttorneg P 1954 e. GEFFROY ET AL 2,588,329

APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING RIBBON-S, LACES, AND OTHER MATERIALS Filed Jan.2, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V E N TO R S Gfaeafl GEFFAO) PA a; M/VETPatented Sept. 14, 1954 APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING RIBBONS, LACES, AND OTHERMATERIALS Georges Geffroy and Paul Vanet, Paris, France, assignors to LaCellophane, Paris, France, a

French company Application January 2, 1952, Serial No. 264,616

Claims priority, application France January 4, 1951 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an apparatus for wrapping ribbons, laces andother materials in narrow strip form.

It is well known to wrap products of various kinds in the thin filmmaterials, e. g. of regenerated cellulose, such materials serving notonly to protect the products, but also to impart tothem an attractiveappearance which is of assistance in promoting sales.

Ribbons of textile material or of lace are generally supplied onspirally wound reels from which the retailer winds off and measures thelength required by a customer. Since they are unprotected, such ribbonstend to become soiled and lose their value while they are being sold orWhile they are being handled by the customer up to the time of theiruse.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of presentation ofribbons, laces and other narrow strip materials and to provide apparatusfor carrying such method into efiect.

According to the present invention ribbons, laces and other materials incontinuous strip form are wrapped in an envelope of film by a processwhich comprises feeding a continuous strip of film towards an assemblypoint, the said strip of film being of width sufiicient when folded tosurround the strip material which is to be wrapped, folding said stripof film, laying said strip material within the said folds at saidassembly point and sealing the edges of said strip of film, the saidsteps being carried out as a continuous operation.

The invention will be better understood from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which oneembodiment thereof has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view illustrating the wrapped strip material;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating one form of apparatus forcarrying out the invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the apparatus on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the strip and ribbon at the folding station;and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sections similar to Fig. 1 showing intermediate stagesin the folding operation.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the ribbon or the lace I is shownin enlarged section. The ribbon l is enveloped by a film having a lineof gum or adhesive 3 which ensures the tightness or the firm hold of thewrapping.

Fig. 2 shows by Way of example, and without any limiting effect, amachine capable of carrying into practice the continuous wrapping ofribhons in accordance with the diagram of Fig. l. The spool 4 of film,for example, a film of regenerated cellulose, unwinds as shown at 5 andpasses over an idler roller 6, the hub of which is of small diameter andhas two flanges, the distance apart of which is only very slightlygreater than the width of the film. The film then passes round arubberized roller I which is braked by means of a suitable tensioningdevice (not shown) which brings the tension to a suitable value. Thefriction is adjustedso that the roller 1 is driven without slipping ofthe film. 'Ihe film, after passing over an idler roller 8, the purposeof which is to increase the winding are on the roller I, is adapted tocontact at 9 a driven gumming roller Ill, which takes up at its.periphery a thin layer of gum supplied from the container II. The film,thus provided with gum, is driven by the roller I2 and passes beneaththe fixed guide I3, the width of which is slightly larger than that ofthe ribbon to be wrapped. The effect of guide I3 is to fold over theedges of the film as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The ribbon to be wrapped, coming from a spool I4 is unwound as shown atI5 and positioned by means of a flanged roller I6. The ribbon followsthe path II, I8, l9 beneath the guide I3, as shown in Fig. 4 to a muchlarger scale; lateral projections 20 formed on the guide I3 ensure acorrect placing of the ribbon; it then moves with the film, the edges ofwhich are folded over on to it in accordance with the successive stagesindicated in Figs. 5, 6 and 1. The edges of the film are progressivelyfolded over between the fixed guide I3 and the roller 2| is indicated inFig. 4, using a folder F if desired to fold the ribbon, the foldingbeing completed at the moment when the assembly consisting of film andribbon is passed on to the roller 2|. A second roller 22, surfaced withsoft rubber, presses on the assembly for the purpose of shaping andensuring the sticking and then the ribbon, thus wrapped, leaves at 23and is spooled at 24 on to a core 25 driven by a friction drive.

The driving motor 26 operates a reduction gear, the base of which can beseen at 21; the pulley 28, keyed to the output shaft of the reductiongear, drives the gumming roller II), the rollers I2, 2|, 22 and also thefrictional winding gear by means of a chain or belt (not shown).

The film employed may be of regenerated cellulose, cellulose acetate orother cellulose derivative, rubber hydrochloride or any other of thewell known film materials. The gum or adhesive may be applied as acontinuous line, as above described, or may be applied intermittently asa succession of dots. It is advisable to use a gum having a low degreeof adhesion, though of course sufiicient to maintain the structureduring normal handling, to facilitate removal of the film wrapping bythe user.

When the film is thermoplastic the use of gum may be dispensed with, theedges of the film being sealed by heat or a high frequency electricfield. Heat sealing may be effected by makin roller 22 of metal andheating it, the roller 2| then being rubber-surfaced. Regeneratedcellulose films having a thermoplastic varnish coating to increase theirimpermeability may be used with advantage as they serve to protect theribbon or like product from changes in atmospheric humidity.

The film may be transparent, translucent, colorless or colored,corrugated, printed, or may have any one of the many appearances whichit is known can be given to films. In particular, the film may bepre-printed with various markings or with a graduated scale forsimplifying the calculations by the sales assistant or the user.

Moreover the film may contain substances absorbing activic radiations.e. g. ultra-violet radiations, which would affect the quality or colorof the wrapped materials.

Further, there may be introduced within the wrapping a separate strip offilm, paper or metal foil 30 which modifies the appearance of thewrapped product, this insertion being transparent or opaque and printedor decorated in any manner. When the invention is applied to thewrapping or lace it is desirable to lay such an insertion 30 on top ofthe lace before the assembly passes the sealing device so that the laceis prevented from rubbing directly on said device, and its configurationis substantially maintained against deformation.

What is claimed is:

Apparatus for wrapping ribbons, laces and other materials in continuousstrip form in a protective film which comprises a fixed guide memberhaving a surface under which the strip material passes, said surfaceterminating in a forwardly tilted lip corresponding in width to thewidth of the strip material, said guide member having guide flangesextending downwardly on both sides of said strip material forpositioning said strip material as it passes under said surface, meanscontinuously feeding said strip material under said surface, meanscontinuously feeding a webof said protective film under said stripmaterial as it passes under said lip with its marginal edges extendinglaterally on both sides beyond said lip to be folded thereover, meansfolding said marginal edges of said web upwardly as they pass said lipand then inwardly to overlap over said strip material, means applying anadhesive to one marginal edge of said web, and means continuouslypressing the overlapped marginal edges of said web together for sealinthe same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 797,378 Schubert Aug. 15, 1905 940,873 Hanrath Nov. 23, 19091,015,000 Cahn Jan. 16, 1912 1,905,392 Freydberg Apr. 25, 1933 2,095,910Bergstein Oct. 12, 1937 2,146,308 Maxfield Feb. 7, 1939 2,203,822 HymanJune 11, 1940 2,226,442 Rumsey Dec. 24, 1940 2,280,405 Frostad Apr. 21,1942 2,298,363 Ganz Oct. 13, 1942 2,458,971 Wilson et al Jan. 11, 19492,549,122 Osterhof Apr. 17, 1951

